Malaysian naturalized player returns home seeking to 'save himself' after FIFA suspension

03/10/2025 13:06:00 soccer

Facundo Garces is the second naturalized player, after Rodrigo Holgado, to be in Malaysia to help resolve documentation issues that caused a one-year FIFA suspension.

According to Spanish newspaper El Correo, the 26-year-old center-back arrived in Malaysia to take part in the appeal process.

"He is currently in this Asian country working with the football federation to appeal the one-year suspension," El Correo reported.

Naturalized center-back Facundo Garces of the Malaysian national team. Photo: NST

On September 26, FIFA fined the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) 350,000 Swiss francs (about 1.8 million RM) and imposed a 12-month ban on seven players: Garcés, Jon Irazabal, Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Héctor Hevel, João Figueiredo, and Gabriel Palmero for using invalid registration documents during the Asian Cup qualifiers against Vietnam in June.

Garcés played in the match against Vietnam and the recent 2-1 win over Singapore. He is regarded as a crucial defensive anchor for Malaysia, with coach Peter Cklamovski valuing Garcés’s leadership in defense due to his tenacity and composure on the ball.

Before Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Gabriel Palmero, and Imanol Machuca, Malaysian players based overseas, returned home to seek solutions following FIFA suspensions.

Holgado plays for America de Cali in Colombia’s top division. Palmero is with Unionistas in Spain. Defender Garces plays for Alvares in La Liga. Machuca is on loan at Velez Sarsfield.

These four players, plus three from Johor Darul Ta'zim club—Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal, Hector Hevel—were each fined 2,000 Swiss francs and banned from all professional football activities for 12 months by FIFA. FIFA stated the reason was Malaysia’s forgery of these players’ documents during the Asian Cup 2027 qualifier against Vietnam.

As of today, October 3, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has not yet filed an appeal with FIFA regarding the heavy penalties announced on September 26.

FAM is waiting for FIFA and the FIFA Football Court to send relevant documents to provide grounds for an appeal. FAM is under great pressure as time is short; FIFA has given FAM 10 days to appeal, with the deadline on October 6.

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